Can't Survive Without You
by Happy Llama Mizuki
Summary: Juliet is an extraordinary and normal girl until Voldemort's followers take everything she has. Now that she's bitter, bent on revenge, and yet brilliant as ever, can the love of a man bring back the old Juliet? R. Lupin/original character romance, rated


Can't Survive Without You  
By Belldandy  
  
A/N: Ooooh, I'm going on a total writing spree with this! I warn you of one thing, though; it's going to be sad. It's going to start sad, it's going to get happy, then it's going to break your heart. :P I know, I'm just a heartbreaker like that. Just work with me here.  
  
Disclaimer: I own Juliet Figg and her parents and her brother and sister. Everyone else belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm not J.K., but I swear I will be when I grow up. :P  
  
Chapter One  
  
Juliet Figg was a talented and promising young girl. She, at age seventeen, seemed to have it all -- looks, brains, a perfect family, and a bright future ahead of her. Always charismatic and witty, the only thing wrong with her had to be that she didn't really have any friends. She decided that this was because she didn't wear makeup or style her hair in a new and different style every day (on the contrary, she kept it in the same tight braid all the time besides when she showered or slept). She supposed the fact that she wouldn't take her eyes away from any schoolwork, book, or some kind of parchment didn't help much, either. But, nevertheless, she figured that it did her good to keep to herself since no one really seemed to understand her anyway. After many years of it, lonliness had come to suit her, so she didn't particularly mind.  
  
August first, Juliet awoke with a sense of happiness that quickly eluded her. She knew that her father had a day off from his job for the first time in a month, but somehow, she had a bad feeling about the day ahead. Dressing quickly, she tried to be happy and just look forward to the fun she was going to have with her family that day. Her brother was out on vacation with his friends, of course, but it would still be fun.  
  
Going downstairs, Juliet found the lower floor of her home deserted. As usual, she was the first one awake. She decided to make breakfast, but quickly changed her mind after remembering what had happened the last time she tried to cook anything by herself.  
  
She took a seat in the den and took out a roll of parchment to write a poem. She loved poetry and hoped that she could get as good at writing it as her mother. She was hoping to publish a book of poetry very soon. Her quill scratched against the parchment and it was the only sound for a good half hour before her baby sister, Anne, started crying. Juliet glanced up the stairs and saw her mother heading quickly to Anne's room. Putting away her quill and parchment, Juliet looked up as her father came down the staircase, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His brown hair was tousled and messy from his sleep as he approached her.  
  
" 'Morning, Dad," Juliet said, getting up and hugging him. She gave him her bright, early-morning smile. Her blue eyes were alight with happiness, but her smile seemed forced, as if she didn't expect the day to go as well as she tried to seem she did.  
  
"Good morning, Julie." His murmur was sleepy but affectionate. He gave her a smile. "Let's get breakfast ready, huh?"  
  
Juliet nodded. It was okay as long as her father cooked with her. She always used to love cooking with her Dad because it was the only time she didn't ruin whatever she made. But lately, he'd been too busy with work at the Ministry of Magic and had to get up and leave even earlier than she woke.  
  
After breakfast, Juliet got out her shoes. She and her family were going to go out for a trip to the park. As she re-entered the den, her mother was putting on her shoes as well. When she looked up, she smiled at Juliet cheerfully. Her green eyes were soft, kind, and caring, just as a mother's would be. Her silvery-blonde sheet of hair was the same as Juliet's, silky and long.  
  
"Juliet, dear, would you go upstairs and get your sister?" She asked.  
  
But before Juliet could answer, the door to their home was burst open and right off its hinges. A group of hooded figures stepped into the room. Their faces were enshrouded in the dark shadows of the hoods so that they looked wicked and menacing. The only part of their faces that could be seen were their chins and mouths. Most of their mouths were bent into wicked, evil grins or had their teeth bared dangerously like a lion.  
  
Juliet's father came into the room. "Death Eaters!" He gapsed in fear and shock.  
  
One of them stepped forward; his locked jaw curled into a cold look of anger, and lifted his wand, pointing it straight at her father's chest. Juliet's father took a step back, his pale blue eyes widening. The Death Eater seemed to smirk, then he turned cold and angry again. "Tell us where Arabella Figg is!" He ordered. His voice was rough and unyielding.  
  
"We don't know!" Her father replied, afraid but trying not to show it. His eyes were still widened, but he didn't move. Working at the Ministry must have taught him not to give in to the likes of the Death Eaters.  
  
Juliet's mother pulled her close and hugged her fearfully. Shaking in her mother's arms, Juliet tried to convince herself that it would be all right. Arabella was her grandmother's name, and her grandmother was on some top-secret misson, as her father had called it. They were only in contact by owl from what Juliet knew.  
  
"I'm giving you one more chance," the Death Eater warned. His tone was even more menacing than before, his voice icy and demanding. He took another step towards Juliet's father, wand still raised like a venomous snake ready to strike.  
  
"I told you, we don't know!" Her father insisted, standing his ground. Juliet wanted to yell out that he was telling the truth, but she couldn't speak.  
  
"You asked for it." The Death Eater waved his wand and yelled, "Crucio!"  
  
Juliet gasped in horror as her father fell to the floor, writhing in pain. His screaming filled her ears and she couldn't do anything to block out the sound. Her mother was shaking madly now, crying, "No, no, no" over and over again. "He's telling the truth!"  
  
Finally, Juliet couldn't stand it anymore. She broke away from her mother's arms and leapt towards her tortured, screaming father in tears. Before she could reach him, however, she was caught in the strong arms of one of the hooded figures. Crying, she hit him as hard as she could, but couldn't properly defend herself in her hysterics.  
  
"Stop fighting, you ruddy girl!" He growled. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he slammed her back against the wall. Her shoulderblades stung and the back of her head hit the wood painfully. She gasped as a wave of dizziness washed over her and a jolt of pain shot through her body. Her vision blurred by tears, she couldn't see as her mother's voice rang out.  
  
"No! Don't! Please!" The words sounded strangely as if they were coming from a badly-tuned radio, echoing and ringing in her head. Then her father's screams died away in a green flash of light. All that was left was her mother's sobs and the sound of the Death Eaters' laugher. Soon, her mother stopped screaming as well.  
  
Juliet felt an intense pain shooting through her again as the Death Eater who had her pinned against the wall roughly and mercilessly stole away the last part of her innocence and childhood; her virginity.  
  
She tried begging and pleading, threatening and screaming, but nothing could stop that monster. When she felt the pain cease, she stayed very still for a few moments. After she realized that she was finally alone, she fell against the wall, her body stiff and painful. Every muscle in her body screamed in defiance as she started to cry. Her tears were for her dead mother and father, her parentless baby sister, what her older brother would say when he found out, her lost virginity, and her pain.  
  
She curled up into a little ball, holding her knees to her chest and trying to be as small as she could. She sat like that and cried until she felt the smell of something burning stinging her nose. Getting up, she watched smoke pouring into the room and her eyes widened in fear once again. They'd set the house on fire. Terror overtaking her, she knew she had to get out. But what about her parents' bodies? Suddenly, she remembered Anne. Anne was upstairs in her crib. Juliet had to get her out.  
  
Running into the hallway, Juliet began to cough. Thick, black smoke was pouring in, filling her lungs and making it hard to see where she was going. When she reached the end of the hallway and began to climb the stairs, she glanced into the kitchen and saw flames dancing and flickering tauntingly at her.  
  
Juliet forced herself to look away and keep climbing the stairs. The smoke was following behind her and rising ahead of her, and now she could hear Anne crying. Running as fast as she could, Juliet was feeling more and more light-headed from the smoke, but she rushed into her sister's room. Dashing to the crib, she lifted Anne into her arms.  
  
Back at the top of the stairs, Juliet saw smoke and flames climbing up, chasing her. She took a few steps back, then turned away and ran again. This time she burst into her own room, closing the door behind her. Still carrying Anne, who was wailing miserably, Juliet ran to her closet and yanked it open. Grabbing her broomstick, she turned to run to the window and stopped. Reaching back into the closet, she pulled out a thick, old, family album; the Death Eaters would not take every memory she had of her life. She would make sure of that.  
  
She ran to the window and set the album and broomstick down. She fumbled with the latches with one hand and held her wailing baby sister in her other arm. Pulling the window open, she grabbed the two items she'd left on the floor. Climbing out of her window, Juliet set her feet onto the porch roof. She got on the broomstick and knew that she couldn't possibly control it with her hands both full, so she threw the photo album off the roof. It landed with a thump nearby and Juliet soon followed with Anne on the broomstick.  
  
Landing beside the album, Juliet got off the broom and fell to the ground. Hugging her baby sister to her, she cursed the Death Eaters silently. Damn them all, she thought. They had taken her life away from her. They'd killed her parents, raped her, burned her house, and were probably laughing about a job well done. Juliet swore to herself that she would get her revenge. She would hurt them all back, take away more than they had stolen from her.  
  
Anne's crying grew quiet in Juliet's ears as Juliet slipped into blissful unconciousness. When anyone finally came to help, it would be too late. The house would already be burned to the ground.  
  
To be continued in chapter two... 


End file.
